Monday, July 10, 2006

This used to be my playground

Once I had spaghetti at my best friend's house, then went to her soccer practice. While she was playing, I spun myself silly on one of those round merry-go-rounds like the one shown here, got pyrotechnically sick*, and was cruelly taunted for the rest of the night by these sent-from-hell older kids. I never wanted to wear that top again, and it was a long time before I ate spaghetti, too.

6 comments:

kathryn
said...

On my elementary school playground, we had this contraption that consisted of 4 metal ladders and four long, rusty chains, and I swear the thing was 8 feet tall. You were supposed to climb the ladders, I don't know what the chains were for. And the whole thing was over pavement and gravel. People fell off and knocked their teeth out all the time.

I have very fond memories of going out to the farm and riding on a four-seat contraption where every "chair" had there own little pumping handle which spun all riders around and around at a pretty good clip. Eliminated the need to be that odd guy out who had to push everyone and miss out on all of the fun. Do you remember what I am talking about. The best thing is... I think we inhertited that contraption over at our house.

At my elementary school, our playground was all paved. Therefore, the monkeybars were even more hazardous. I think there was usually a concussion a year. And the merry-go-round...well, puking is nothing to slipping and falling and getting dragged in a circle over blacktop pavement. My right knee still has the scar.

But dude, the fun was astounding. And really, all the kids who made it out alive from that playground were stronger, tougher and had much quicker reflexes. Granted most of us were missing some teeth, but it's the South, nobody notices that.

Oh yeah, our playground was paved, too. And we had this whole weird obstacle course thing that we'd have to run and jump and climb over as part of Field Day. When I saw "Full Metal Jacket" in high school I was reminded of it. Nothing like running the 4th graders up a big wall of logs and making them jump over onto the asphault! Good times, good times...

The Secret History was a fabulous book. Even with the four kids home 24/7 I read it in about a day and a half, and then turned it around and started it over. The last book that grabbed me like that was The Lovely Bones.

I didn't have a paved playground -- they were smart enough to use grassy areas and gravel. I remember falling off of one of those round merry-go-rounds and rolling underneath towards the base, so I had the platform going round directly above me. I didn't get hurt, but boy, did they stop that thing fast to get me out of there.

Quick Linker

About Me

I'm an entertainment editor at MSNBC.com, and have maintained Pop Culture Junk Mail since August, 1999. The New York Times called the site "one of the best places to explore pop culture online," and Entertainment Weekly included it on their Top 100 Web Sites list. If you like weird food, strange products, and 1970s and 1980s nostalgia, PCJM is your home away from home.